#7

 

PEYTON MANNING

Imagine, if you will, that you were the chosen one.

From the time you first stepped into a classroom in seventh grade, you were deemed the best and the brightest of every student in your classroom.

Any time you participated in a class or took a test, you were expected to be the best. It started that day when you were 13 years old—and those expectations never waned.

Now, transfer that to the football field. From the day you first slipped on shoulder pads and donned a helmet, you were expected to be the best. If you were the top player on the field, you merely lived up to expectations. If your team lost the game or you made a mistake, you were a disappointment.

That’s the great weight that Peyton Manning has carried with him every step of the way throughout his football career. The son of a great NFL quarterback in Archie Manning, Peyton was a dynamic high school player who was expected to be a star college quarterback.

When he enrolled at the University of Tennessee and disappointed those who wanted him to follow in his father’s footsteps at Ole Miss, the pressure became even greater. Manning never bowed to that pressure and was the best passer in Southeastern Conference history.

Everything Manning had done in his career prepared him to be successful in the NFL. He became the first choice in the 1998 draft, and he quickly became the face of the Indianapolis Colts. It took one year for Manning to turn a losing franchise into one of the glamour teams in the league.

The Colts went 3-13 in Manning’s rookie year, but they were a 13-3 team by the 1999 season. Manning quickly became one of the most cerebral players in the game, as he knew the game so well that he basically took over nearly all the play-calling duties for the Colts.

Manning’s ascension was the result of study and hard work. While he spent many hours on the practice field trying to learn and improve his game, he spent many more hours in the film room, learning his responsibilities, learning what each of his ten teammates was supposed to do on every play, and getting a firm grip on all the options the opposing defense had.

“One of the things I have learned about this game is that the more prepared you are, the better chance you have of achieving success,” Manning explained. “You can control how you perform on the field, and when you understand how your opponents are most likely going to try to stop you, you have a much better chance of success.

“I knew that if I was going to be successful, I would have to do all the work I could on the practice field and in the film room.”

Manning was clearly one of the most gifted passers in NFL history, but was never willing to rely on his gifts of passing accuracy, a quick release, or his ability to fire the ball down the field. Instead, it was his work at diagnosing what his opponents would do that would allow him to take his talent and rise above the rest.

Manning’s record of achievement in Indianapolis was superb, as he never failed to complete less than 62 percent of his passes after his rookie season. His touchdown and yardage totals mounted, and so did his victory totals.

He was remarkable during the 2004 season, when he completed 336-of-497 passes for 4,557 yards with an overwhelming 49 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions. It seemed that Manning could go out on the field and torch NFL defenses any time he felt like it, as the Colts overwhelmed nearly all their opponents in rolling to a 12-4 record.

The magic continued the following season, as the Colts were even better. They dominated the regular season with a 14-2 mark. However, Manning’s regular season success was not accompanied by top performances in the playoffs.

No matter how brilliant his numbers were during the year, Manning tripped up in the postseason. Usually, the New England Patriots were involved, as Manning could not find a way to outscheme Patriots coach Bill Belichick and his brilliant quarterback in Tom Brady. However, Manning also had problems contending with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ aggressive defense.

Finally, in the 2006 season, Manning had had enough. The Colts overcame their history of postseason failures as they hammered the Kansas City Chiefs 23-8 in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Then they went on the road and defeated the hard-hitting Baltimore Ravens 15-8 in the divisional playoffs, which set up another confrontation with the Patriots in the AFC Championship game.

Heartbreak appeared to be the theme of this game for Manning, as the Patriots raced out to a 21-6 halftime lead. But this time, Manning would not be stopped in the second half. He scored on a short run in the third quarter and then threw a short touchdown pass to little-used Dan Klecko to tie the game.

The Colts would go on to clinch a berth in the Super Bowl by outlasting New England 38-34. Two weeks later, the Colts would earn their only Super Bowl title of the Manning era by beating the Chicago Bears 29-17 in the rain in Miami in Super Bowl XLI.

“Those wins over the Patriots and the Bears meant as much to me as any wins in my career,” Manning said. “We had been stopped so many times on the way to the Super Bowl, so beating the Patriots meant we were no longer falling short. Then, to beat the Bears and win the Super Bowl. It’s what every player dreamed of and it meant so much to all of us.”

The Colts would make a return appearance in Super Bowl XLIV against New Orleans, but they fell to the upstart Saints 31-17.

Eventually, Manning’s time in Indianapolis would come to an end, as a degenerative condition in his neck wiped out his 2011 season. The Colts would allow Manning to leave via free agency in the offseason, and the quarterback would eventually sign with the Denver Broncos.

However, success was anything but a guarantee. While Manning passed a physical prior to signing with the Broncos, there were reports that he no longer had the arm strength to throw his signature sideline passes and that he was a shell of his former self.

Then the season started, and it was almost as if Manning had not missed a beat. He was directing the Denver offense with the same skill and rhythm that he had done in his heyday with the Colts.

He threw for 4,659 yards in 2012 with the Broncos, along with 37 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. That was just a prelude for the 2013 season, when Manning threw for 5,477 yards along with a record 55 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions.

The Broncos made it to Super Bowl XLVIII against the Seattle Seahawks, but they were unable to bring home the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Seattle was simply too powerful and quick on the defensive side of the ball, and the explosive Denver offense was smothered in the biggest game.

Manning has dominated NFL regular season games and statistics like no other quarterback in the game’s history. He has one Super Bowl triumph to his credit, but his lack of postseason success has been an issue for his critics.

Still, Manning is perhaps the most prolific quarterback the game has ever known, and he is among the most legendary passers in the sport’s history.

He has been the best and brightest since his first days with a football, and he has lived up to his enormous potential.